How to write 究 (jiū) — Stroke Order, Radical & Practice

jiū to dig into, to investigate; actually, after all 7 strokes · Radical 穴 (cave) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced jiū.

to dig into
to investigate
actually
after all

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

究 — 7 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

究 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

究 =

穴 top cave

九 bottom nine

Radical

The radical of 究 is 穴 — meaning cave. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 窗.

How the character is built

究 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 穴 (cave) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 九 originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 究

究竟 jiūjìng after all; on earth; in the end

你究竟想去哪儿？

Nǐ jiūjìng xiǎng qù nǎr?

Where on earth do you want to go?

研究 yánjiū to research; to study

她正在研究中国古代文化。

Tā zhèngzài yánjiū Zhōngguó gǔdài wénhuà.

She is researching ancient Chinese culture.

研究生 yánjiūshēng graduate student; postgraduate

她正在读研究生。

Tā zhèngzài dú yánjiūshēng.

She is studying for a graduate degree.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

究 appears in 36 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

研究证明，女孩子们对衣服颜色的选择往往与她们的性格有关。

From Mock Exam 02 →

究竟谁能先进球，比赛结果到底怎样，我们稍后将继续为您报道。

From Mock Exam 13 →

Tasks Featuring 究 / 相关任务

Words containing 究 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论某个人物

Describe a Person · 研究生

📚 介绍新技术应用及科技成果

Technology · 研究

FAQ

What does 究 mean in Chinese?

究 (jiū) means to dig into, to investigate; actually, after all. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 究 have?

究 is written in 7 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 究?

The radical of 究 is 穴 (cave). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 窗.

What is the pinyin for 究?

究 is pronounced jiū.

What HSK 4 words use 究?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 究 appears in 3 words, including 究竟 (jiūjìng), 研究 (yánjiū), 研究生 (yánjiūshēng). See the full list above.